


Friendly Fire

by greenteafiend



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), Blue Paladin Allura (Voltron), Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mind Manipulation, Whump, allura whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-18 15:25:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18702319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenteafiend/pseuds/greenteafiend
Summary: Keith and Allura—newly minted as the Black and Blue Paladins respectively—team up for a diplomacy mission that goes horribly wrong.My piece for "If You Need me" - A VLD whump & hurt/comfort zine.





	Friendly Fire

Shiro had been missing for one phoeb and thirteen quintants exactly, and they were no closer to finding out what had happened to him than they were when Keith had first set eyes on the empty pilot seat in the Black Lion.

If Keith had it his way, he would spend every waking hour scouring the galaxy, and he would do it in the  _ Red  _ Lion, until the universe gave him back the _ one  _ person who had never given up on him. 

But Keith  _ couldn’t _ have his way. 

The universe needed them, needed  _ Voltron _ , and the Black Lion needed a pilot. 

Keith still wondered why it had to be  _ him _ . It wasn’t enough for the universe to take Shiro away, it had to spit in his face by making Keith his replacement. It had to crush him underneath the mantle of leadership he’d never aspired to.

Which brought him to where he was now, on a mission with Princess Allura. 

As Keith piloted Black to Dalnasia, he couldn’t help but remember the last two times he and Allura had been paired on missions. 

Well, they hadn’t actually been paired on an _official_ mission, as such. The first time, they’d both run down to the Arus village to defend it from Galran intruders, only to find that it had all been a ruse to lure them away. In that instance, they’d been stuck outside the particle barrier of their _own_ goddamn castle, and Keith had been powerless to do anything but pace like a wild animal, _furious_ that he couldn’t help.  
The second time, they’d snuck out and taken a joyride in a pod, both under the misguided notion that _they_ were responsible for Zarkon’s ability to track the castleship. That had ended with an explosion and the team nearly dying because Keith hadn’t been there when they needed him to pilot Red.

Keith hoped that  _ this  _ mission would go a little more smoothly. Third time’s the charm, right? 

“Shall we go over the brief again before we land?” asked Allura.

Dalnasia hung in the emptiness of space in front of them, suspended like an amber marble, growing steadily larger as they approached. 

“No, I remember.”

“Oh?” 

He could  _ feel  _ her raising an eyebrow at him and frowning skeptically even though he wasn’t looking. Just because he didn’t always follow orders didn’t mean he wasn’t listening when he was given them. 

“Let you do the talking, right?” 

“ _ Keith, _ ” chastised Allura.

“What? It’s true.” The brief had been longer, but that was what it boiled down to. Allura was there to schmooze and Keith was there as the leader to impress them with his presence and his Lion, and have Allura’s back if things got dicey.       

Keith had no illusions about his own skills and abilities; there were things he was good at (piloting, hand to hand combat, sword fighting), and things he was _ bad  _ at (understanding jokes, making friends, controlling his impulses, not rising to Lance’s jibes). He excelled at action, not conversation. Shiro had excelled at both…

“As the head of Voltron you need to take a more active role in diplomacy,” Allura sniffed. 

“I’m here, aren’t I?” retorted Keith. They were closing in on Dalnasia now, it was taking  up nearly their entire field of view, and Keith could pick out features of its surface; swirling golden clouds with white caps at the poles. It looked a lot like the planetary equivalent of a creamy cappuccino.   

Allura sighed.

“We’re probably going to have to prove ourselves if we want them to ally with us. Ten thousand years ago they judged the worthiness of foreigners on--”

“Allura, I know,” interrupted Keith. “I  _ was _ actually listening when Coran explained.”

Dalnasians expected prospective allies to prove their strength by slaying a beast in their jungle of mist, which sounded equal parts ridiculous and ominous.

_ ‘Let’s hope that over the last ten thousand years they’ve decided on a less barbaric method of testing outsiders; we need the rare mineral Delnod to replenish the cryopods, and it can only be mined there,’  _ Coran had said cheerfully.  __

As Keith brought them down, the fluffy golden clouds that filled Dalnasia’s upper atmosphere gradually filtered down to a hazy fog that lovingly hugged the tops of the trees carpeting the landscape. It was probably similar to the view Keith might be afforded if he flew over the Amazon on Earth. Rising above the treetops in the distance, there was a structure clearly built by intelligent life. It loomed, a giant seven-sided pyramid, fashioned out of some sort of shiny prismatic stone. 

Around it some jungle had been cleared, and that was where Keith set Black down. It had been difficult to perceive from above, but the trees were  _ towering _ . As tall and thick as California Redwoods. They disembarked, and after confirming that the air was safe to breathe, Keith flicked off the bottom part of his visor. The humidity hit him first, like a blow to the face, followed by the thick, pungent smell of vegetation. Ambient nature sounds - the rustle of a breeze through leaves, animal calls and chirps - enveloped him, and it was almost shocking after little else but the faint mechanical hum of the castle for so many weeks. 

A party of Dalnasians waited to greet them, every single one of them dripping with ornaments made of gold and the same prismatic stone as their pyramid. They all carried spears taller than they were, spearheads tipped in gold too. Although their features were rather reptilian, their skin looked human, like burnished bronze, and their hair was as white as Allura’s, pulled back into long intricate braids. 

They stared up at the Black Lion with the sort of reverence you’d expect from people carrying  _ spears _ as their primary means of defense. Not big on guns, the Dalnasians, something Keith understood. 

“Welcome, Voltron.” One of them stepped forward and fisted a hand over their chest, giving a short bow. 

Allura mirrored the gesture smoothly, and after an awkward beat, Keith did his best to copy. 

“I am Princess Allura of Altea, pilot of the Blue Lion. This is Keith, pilot of the Black Lion. We are here hoping to negotiate a coalition between our forces, as well as a trade agreement.”

“If you wish to meet with the Queen, you must bring a tribute from the Jungle of Mist.” 

Keith saw Allura’s jaw tighten, but aside from that she gave no outward indication of how she felt about it.

“Of course,” she replied graciously. Ten thousand years and apparently the Dalnasians hadn’t changed one iota. Into the jungle they went. 

 

* * *

 

“It feels like we’re walking in circles,” remarked Keith well over a varga later, hot, sweaty, and bothered. The terrain was unforgiving, uneven from gnarled tree roots, and the air swirled like hot soup around them, stifling and oppressive. Keith had never felt humidity like this before, having grown up in a  _ desert _ , and he swiftly decided that he fucking  _ hated  _ it. He’d long since given up the protection of his helmet, clipping it to his belt for the sake of a tiny bit of air against his face as he walked.   

“That’s because we  _ are  _ walking in circles,” Allura replied, somehow managing to look just as put together and composed as she had when they’d landed. 

“ _ What?! _ Why?!”

“We’re circling the pyramid so we don’t go too far, or get lost. We just need to run into a krelshi, or a klanmüirl, or a swathian meerakee, or  _ something _ , and if we keep moving that will happen eventually.” 

Keith pouted. “And then we slay it for their Queen? Doesn’t seem fair to use our bayards on innocent wildlife.”

“Slaying is optional, we  _ can _ just take something back alive.”

“I can’t believe the alliance is relying on our combined ability to wrangle a wild animal,” Keith grumbled.

“No, gaining an audience with the  _ Queen _ relies on our combined ability to wrangle an animal,” corrected Allura. “It’s important to respect the customs and traditions of the planets we visit, Keith. The Dalnasians believe that their native flora and fauna represent the spirit of their planet. If you cannot overcome the challenge set down by the planet’s spirit, then they deem you unworthy of being heard.”

“So what, we’re walking around in circles waiting for the planet to challenge us?”  

“Precisely.” 

“Have you ever done this before?” asked Keith.

“Well…  _ no _ . But knowing what I do of the creatures that live here, we shouldn’t have any difficulty. The only thing that would give us real trouble would be a vebora.”

“Vebora?”

“A truly fearsome creature of gigantic proportions, but it doesn’t tend to drift this close to settlements-”

Allura kept chattering as they walked, but Keith felt unsettled, deep in his gut. It came over him quite suddenly, the inkling that something wasn’t quite  _ right _ . He gripped his bayard more tightly, eyes darting around them suspiciously.

They came upon a small clearing in the jungle where an old tree had fallen, leaving a gap for hazy golden light to stream in through the canopy. The dead trunk, even lying on its side, was taller than Keith, and covered in green moss and spindly saplings.  

“Keith, can you hear that?” murmured Allura. 

_ Silence. _

No animal calls, or rustling insects, or chirping birds. Silence so gradual that Keith hadn’t noticed it happening. They materialized their bayards and stood back to back without a word. 

The hair on the back of Keith’s neck stood on end, prickling awareness rippling across his skin; something was watching them. 

Keith was _ just _ about to summon his shield, when suddenly, it was too late. He heard the soft scrape of something dragging across the leaf litter close to them, saw a blur of movement out of the corner of his eye, and then Allura screamed, “ _ Look out! _ ” and shoved him so hard she practically threw him across the clearing.

Keith scrambled to turn around and see what had gone for him, what Allura had saved him from. 

_ Holy. Fuck.  _

Keith’s breath caught in his throat, and his blood froze in his veins. It was a giant snake, large enough to swallow either of them down in one gulp, with a mouth full of teeth the length of Keith’s forearm, and five eyes that glowed with malevolence. Had it been lying in wait for them, keeping still and camouflaged? The coils of its long glistening body were now visible to him _ everywhere _ , encircling them like prey. 

“ _ Allura! _ ” 

It had stabbed her clean through the shoulder with the barbed end of its tail, right where Keith’s heart had been a second ago…  _ holy shit _ . He watched in shock as she gripped the jagged barb with both hands, and yanked it free with a pained grunt before he could do anything.

Hissing, the snake pulled back, almost melting into the treeline, but Keith could still hear its great body slithering through the leaves. He could still see its huge yellow eyes watching them. What was it waiting for?

Trying to keep one eye on the snake and one eye on where he was going, Keith rushed back to Allura’s side.

“Are you alrig--”

The attack came as a complete shock because it was the last thing he  _ ever  _ would have expected. Allura lashed out at him with her whip, a blow that would have sliced his chest open right down to the sternum if it weren’t for his armor. 

Once again, she sent him flying, but this time he landed flat on his back and it knocked the breath out of him. 

Allura’s breathing was wrong too, all hitched and distressed. She yanked off her helmet and tossed it aside, revealing eyes blown wide with panic. She looked frantic,  _ unhinged.  _

“What did you do to him!?” she roared, sweeping her whip up in a graceful arc, before bringing it down. 

Keith rolled just in time to avoid being hit, the crack of the whip ringing in his ears, the strength of the attack shaking the ground and vibrating up his legs as he forced himself back to his feet. He wasn’t fast enough to avoid the whip slicing across his side as she pulled it back, cutting through his suit and the skin underneath. He howled in pain, hand reflexively clasping the wound.

“Allura! What are you--”

“ _ What did you do with my Paladin! _ ” she shrieked, lashing out again. Keith blocked with his sword, one-handed, allowing her whip to curl around and around the blade. 

“What are you talking about?! I’m right he- _ Look out! _ ”

The monster reared up behind Allura, but she didn’t notice, she was too busy pulling on the whip. Usually in a tug-of-war against Allura, Keith would be yanked right off his feet. Heck, _ every paladin of Voltron _ put together would be hard pressed to defeat her. But she was weakened, and instead Keith used the whip to yank  _ her _ out of the way. The snake chomped down on air, missing her by a hair’s breadth. 

It changed direction, its body undulating, and immediately went for her again. Keith couldn’t let it. He _ wouldn’t  _ let it have her. Desperation made him pull out his mother’s dagger, draw back his arm, and  _ throw _ . It hurtled through the air, over Allura’s head, and straight into one of the snake’s eyes. 

_ Who’s the sharpshooter now, Lance? _

It pulled back with a furious hiss, retreating into the trees, its forked tongue flicking in and out impatiently like it was biding its time.  

Keith’s second of inattention allowed Allura to get her whip free and attack him again. He let out a grunt of pain when her whip caught his cheek, but it was better than having it wrapped around his neck. 

“Sendak! Tell me what you did to Keith!” she screamed. 

_ Sendak?  _ She thought he was  _ Sendak? _ With a jolt of realization, Keith stared at the bloody wound in Allura’s shoulder, where the snake had run her through with a barb from its spiky tail... 

It had to be influencing her with some sort of hallucinogen. 

“Allura, it’s  _ me _ , Keith,” he said, slow and calm, one arm raised non-threateningly in front of him, the other holding his bayard pointed at the ground.  

“You’ve- you’ve _ taken _ him. I  _ won’t _ let you hurt any more of my Paladins,  _ where is he? _ ”

Keith could see her trembling all over, and her words were slurred as if she was drunk.

Her next attack was weaker and Keith dodged easily, catching the end of her whip in one hand and yanking it right out of her grip. It reverted back to its handle form as it sailed through the air, and Keith caught it deftly. But Allura didn’t give up.

With an anguished battle cry, she ran at him and attacked with her bare fists. 

And Keith, he couldn’t _ bear  _ to raise a hand against her. He fleetingly imagined having to explain bruises on her skin to Coran, to Lance, to  _ Shiro  _ even though he wasn’t there, and he  _ couldn’t _ . He let his bayard dematerialize. Let her come at him. Deflected her blows when he could, took them when he couldn’t, reasoning, _ pleading  _ with her, all the while. 

“I’m Keith,  _ please, _ Allura--”   

As they fought, the glistening coils of the snake’s body surrounded them, softly slithering against the foliage. Keith felt the weight of its four remaining eyes watching their every move. Hungry.  _ Waiting. _ The snake realized it didn’t need to actively kill its meal, the meal had that part covered... 

Allura was fading fast, every punch and kick weaker and less coordinated than the last, until Keith was able to catch her fists with his hands, immobilizing her. 

Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and it made Keith feel like crying too. Allura had been so strong and unbending from the very start; it was  _ wrong _ to see her so broken and confused. 

“Lost one, c-can’t lose another. Give him back—” she cried, struggling against him weakly. 

“Allura,  _ please _ .” Keith’s voice broke on the word. “I need to get you back to the castle. Everything-everything is gonna be okay.” 

A subtle shifting of the air around him, and the sudden ceasing of the slithering sound was the only warning Keith got. The snake burst out of the bushes from behind him, and Keith cursed himself for not splitting his attention more effectively. 

He threw his arms around Allura, the momentum of the motion sending them careening to the jungle floor in a tangle of limbs while the snake snapped at their heels. 

“No!” screamed Allura shrilly, pushing at Keith, but she didn’t have the strength to dislodge him, and could only thrash weakly.  

Cursing under his breath, Keith cupped Allura’s head protectively and rolled them over sideways to avoid the snake surging after them again. The ground shook as its great body hit the ground.

“Get o- _ off _ me!” cried Allura.

“I’m trying to _ help, _ ” retorted Keith, voice muffled beneath Allura’s hands as they weakly pushed at him. He sat up, straddling her hips, and Allura suddenly lashed out at him with renewed vigor. 

“Stop it!  _ Let me go! _ W-where’s Keith?  _ Keith!? _ ” The way she called for him was gut-wrenching. His conscience ate at him, but he grabbed her wrists and stilled her, mostly just to get her hands out of his face so he could try and see what the fuck the giant snake was doing. 

It had pulled back into the foliage, tongue flicking furiously to taste the air, as sticky black liquid leaked out of its ruined eye. 

Allura started to  _ sob _ , writhing underneath him and dragging his attention back to her.

“N-no! get _off_ —” Her voice had gained a panicked edge of hysteria that make Keith feel like disgusting gutter slime even though he was only trying to keep her _safe._ He never wanted to make her frightened like this, he never wanted to make _anyone_ frightened like this, and he found himself automatically scrambling off of her, releasing her wrists as if they burned him and stuttering out an awkward, meager, “ _s-sorry._ ”

Chest heaving, hair wild, tears dripping down her face, Allura tripped to her feet and fled to get away from him. The snake’s gaze snapped to the frantic movement. It flicked its tongue once, twice, and _ lunged,  _ the trajectory perfect for intercepting her.. _.  _

Hideous fear exploded in Keith’s chest, panic flooding his veins with the frantic beat of his heart.

“ _ No! _ ” he screamed, running after her, desperate to put himself between her and the snake, but he wasn’t going to be fast enough. It would rip her body to shreds, and then Keith would have to carry the pieces back to the castle and explain to everyone that it was all his fault. 

He could feel the anguish tearing at him already. She didn’t deserve this, she’d taken that initial hit for  _ him _ . They couldn't save the universe without her, there was no Voltron without her. It couldn’t end like this, he wouldn’t  _ let  _ it. 

Something in him  _ gave _ with his desperation, reaching out, outside of his body. His blade, still buried in the eye of the snake, _ responded.  _

With a flash of light and the sickening squelch of slicing flesh, it transformed into its sword form. The snake went down like it had been shot in the head, landing with an earth-shaking thump at Allura’s feet, its forked tongue lolling out of its mouth.

“Allura!” Keith cried, but she stumbled right past the dead snake. 

“Get-get away from me!” she sobbed.

As much as he didn’t like frightening her, Keith needed to get her back to the castle as soon as possible; he had no idea what other effects the venom might have. 

But first, he retrieved his blade from the snake’s eye, and pried one of the its giant razor-sharp teeth loose, tucking it into his belt; they hadn’t gone through all this fucking trouble just to  _ not _ take back what they’d come for in the first place: proof of a slain animal. 

That done, he went after Allura. With a heavy heart, Keith followed the sound of her sobs until he found her sitting on the other side of the fallen tree. 

The look she gave him of unadulterated fear and dread, coupled with a small whimper and a waterfall of tears, squeezed Keith’s heart mercilessly.

“I’m sorry, I need to get you back to the castle,” he murmured, crouching down in front of her. There was no understanding in Allura’s eyes. No relaxing or softening of her features.

“Please… d-don’t hurt Keith, give him back,” she whimpered, trembling all over.

Keith sighed, and steeled himself to do what needed to be done. She fought him as much as she was able to when he reached for her to haul her up into his arms, but it was no use. She was too weakened to overcome him.  

She could only weep bitterly, and ask for Keith. 

“D-don’t hurt him, give him b-back,” she slurred, small and limp in Keith’s hold. He’d never ever thought her fragile or breakable before, but now… It was an uncomfortable reminder that Allura was just a young woman, thrust into this war as much as any of them. 

As Keith carried her back to the settlement, a few tears escaped from his own eyes and dripped down his face despite how hard he tried to suppress them. 

When they arrived back at the gleaming pyramid, the Dalnasians were there to meet them.

Keith could feel their reptilian eyes honing in on Allura clasped against his chest, silently questioning. He heard one of them gasp, “Is that from a  _ Vebora? _ ” which set the whole crowd off, shifting and murmuring amongst themselves as he approached. If Keith had any hands left to spare, he would have thrown the giant tooth at their feet.

“This is our tribute for your Queen, come get it,” he spat instead. One of the Dalnasians quickly jumped forward to do just that, handling it reverently. 

“Tell her we’ll be back to meet her tomorrow.”

“But-but--”

“ _ Tomorrow, _ ” Keith intoned firmly, and something about the look on his face had every single Dalnasian shrinking away from him.  

Confident that he’d made himself understood, Keith turned on his heel and marched back to the Black Lion. 

It was time to get Allura home. 

 

* * *

 

Allura had only experienced the cold of an Altean pod once before, and never when she had actually been injured. Waking up was just as jarring and unpleasant as it had been last time, but at least she recognized the pair of arms that caught her.

“Princess,” breathed Coran, hugging her close. It took her a moment to hug him back. 

“Coran,” she murmured. She felt slow, like her brain was still trying to thaw. “What happened?” she asked, fidgeting in his hold until he relented and stepped back.

“What do you remember?” 

Allura cast her mind back… Dalnasia. She and Keith had gone on a mission. They were in the jungle looking for a tribute and then—

_ “Sendak!”  _ she gasped. “Sendak attacked us, attacked  _ Keith _ , and took him. We must find him—” Coran cleared his throat to interrupt, stepping back further so that Allura had a clear view of the rest of the room. Specifically, the pile of sleeping Paladins against another pod on the other side of the room.

Hunk sat upright, propped up against the pod, with Pidge tucked under his arm on one side, and Lance leaning his head against his shoulder on the other. Curled up on his side, with his head pillowed in Lance’s lap, and Lance’s jacket acting as a blanket over his shoulders, was  _ Keith.  _

“He’s alright, you got him back,” Allura breathed. 

“Well, you see—”

“He’s wearing a cryosuit. Was he injured too?” 

“Yes, but not as seriously as you were. He only needed a few vargas—”

“And Sendak?”  

Coran squirmed in discomfort, avoiding Allura’s eye. 

“Sendak…wasn’t there, Allura.”

Allura blinked in confusion.

“But I  _ fought  _ him, he  _ was _ there!” she protested. Coran sighed heavily.

“You were stabbed by the barb of a Vebora,” he said. 

Allura gasped. She understood what that meant. Her gaze flickered over to Keith, sleeping peacefully on the floor, wearing that cryosuit. He’d been hurt…

“Then…then who did I fight?” she whispered. 

Coran didn’t need to say. The uncomfortable look on his face explained everything. One of her hands came up to cover her mouth in horror as she recalled what she’d done. Not to Sendak, to  _ Keith _ … She felt like she might be ill. 

“It isn’t that bad, Allura. Keith managed to kill the Vebora and we have a meeting scheduled with the Queen of Dalnasia for tomorrow,” said Coran softly.

She felt like the wrong touch, the wrong words, might make her shatter. She needed to be alone to refortify herself. 

“Make sure they get to bed,” she said, voice brittle. 

“But, Allura, they all wanted to—”

“Coran,  _ please. _ ”

His shoulders sagged. “Yes, Princess…”

He let her escape the room.

 

* * *

 

Allura knew she’d have to face everyone, and what she’d done, eventually, but she hadn’t expected it to happen immediately upon exiting her room the next morning. Keith was there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. He straightened up when he saw her. 

“We waited up for you last night, but you disappeared,” he said, those dark serious eyes accusing. 

They became wide and horrified when Allura’s lower lip started to wobble, and her eyes filled with tears. They’d come so far since the revelation that Keith was Galra, and Allura couldn’t bear that she was responsible for hurting him again, hurting one of her Paladins. That she might have done irreparable damage to their relationship. The guilt had consumed her all night. 

“Keith,” she breathed, wet and broken, eyes downcast. “I-I  _ attacked _ you, I’m so  _ so _ sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You don’t need to apologize for that!” protested Keith, voice edged with panic, but Allura was spiralling. 

This event was just another drop into an already overflowing bucket of stress, insecurities, and anxieties. Taking on the mantle of Blue Paladin in addition to her normal duties, as well as dealing with the fallout of losing Shiro, suppressing her grief so she could function effectively, pretending to be the strong leader the universe needed; it  _ wore  _ on her. It wore so heavily sometimes she could hardly stand it. She was trying so hard,  _ fighting _ so hard, but it felt like for every inch of ground they gained, the Galra clawed them right back. The  _ universe  _ hurt them. And Allura was tired. 

“We c-can’t afford mistakes like this. I-I already lost— What if I lost you too?” There was a beat of measured silence. 

“Then you’d find another pilot to replace me and you’d keep going,” came Keith’s voice, rough and burning with conviction. “You’re the one that said to me that our mission is bigger than any one individual…even…even those who are completely irreplaceable,” he continued softly. Allura peeked up at him through her lashes. “I know I dealt with it poorly when—when Shiro went missing.  _ Both _ times. But Allura,  _ you _ —” His brows furrowed deeply in thought. “Allura, you’re  _ so strong _ . The Galra didn’t just take one person from you, they took everyone, _ everything _ , and somehow you’re still hopeful. You still have purpose. You give _ us  _ purpose, and direction, and there’s no way we could do any of this without you.” Keith held Allura’s gaze, earnest and genuine.  

This was a side of him Allura hadn’t experienced before. Keith was taciturn to the point of coldness most of the time, yet impulsive and hotheaded, and Allura never could have imagined him finding words like these for her.

“And besides-” he continued when she didn’t say anything, she couldn’t, she was too surprised, “-if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t even be here. You only got hit by that barb pushing me out of the way, and I would have  _ died _ if you hadn’t. So you shouldn’t even be apologizing, I should be _ thanking _ you. So, thank you,” he grumbled stubbornly. 

Allura could only look at him, this wild boy who had managed to tame the Red Lion, and impress both Shiro and the Black Lion enough to earn his place as Black Paladin. Very suddenly she wondered how she had ever found him cold and unfeeling previously, when he was clearly the opposite. 

Keith was empathetic, he felt things deeply. That, along with his strong sense of justice, and honor, made him worthy of piloting Black.

“I understand now,” she whispered, and then she stepped forward and drew Keith into a hug. Like last time, he was slow to return the embrace, arms coming up so carefully, his hold so tentative. The weight of the universe on her shoulders didn’t feel so crushing in his arms, and Allura let herself breathe, and relax.   

“I understand what Shiro saw in you, Keith. You’re _so_ _good_.”

She felt Keith’s breathing hitch where she had her head tucked against his chest, and his arms trembled around her. “And I’m still sorry I tried to hurt you,” she added softly.

“Allura…” Keith’s voice was hoarse. “It wasn’t  _ me _ you were trying to hurt. The whole time…you were  _ worried _ about me. You thought Sendak had taken me, you were trying to get me back.” He squeezed her a fraction tighter. “So thank you, Allura,” he mumbled. 

“Thank you, Keith,” she answered. 

When they finally broke apart, Keith’s eyes were red-rimmed.   

Shaking herself, Allura wiped her eyes on her sleeve and fussed over smoothing her hair back even though it was already perfect. 

She cleared her throat. “Shall we see what Hunk has cooked up for breakfast?” 

Keith nodded, looking so serious that Allura couldn’t help but reach up to affectionately ruffle his hair. She laughed when it provoked a glare.

“Yeah,” said Keith, expression softening. “Let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you're interested in buying a copy of the zine this story was featured in, you can find info [here](https://vldwhumpzine.tumblr.com/post/184636552744/extras-sales-now-open-for-if-you-need-me-a-vld). 
> 
> :)


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